The Ins and Outs of Expanding your Company: Made In Space Is Opening an Office in Europe

The Ins and Outs of Expanding your Company: Made In Space Is Opening an Office in Europe

We recently got news that the US company Made In Space (MIS) would expand to Europe via Luxembourg so we sat down with Harrison Pitman, on the Product Development team at MIS, to know more about their plans and objectives.

Astropreneurs: First of all, could you present yourself and your company with a few words?

Harrison Pitman: My name is Harrison Pitman. I’m on the Product Development team at Made In Space, Inc (MIS). MIS is the world’s most experienced space manufacturing company. Established in 2010 and with offices across the United States, MIS leverages the unique properties of the space environment to develop manufacturing solutions to commercial, industrial, research, and defense challenges. The company’s vision is to enable the future of space exploration by offering off-Earth manufacturing capabilities.

Made In Space Europe co-founders Aaron Kemmer and Jason Dunn

Astropreneurs: Why did you take the decision to come to Europe?

Harrison Pitman: We see Europe as one of the greatest places in the world to develop our technology due to the available talent and general sense of innovation across the continent. We recently became a member of the Luxembourg space ecosystem, and we feel that Luxembourg allows us proximity to other aerospace companies and countries with which we will do business.

Astropreneurs: What were the steps of the journey—or the milestones in your growth—that made you feel ready to expand beyond the US (on Earth)?

Harrison Pitman: For many years we’ve been keen to develop new technologies and expand our work with some of the leading aerospace firms in Europe. By establishing a long-term presence in Europe, we feel better equipped to meet those goals.

Astropreneurs: Let’s talk about location. How important is it for you to find the right location? What aspects did you look at to select the optimal location for your company?

Harrison Pitman: Our preference for location is what brought us to Europe in the first place. The choice to set up in Luxembourg is strategically in service of the business we will conduct across the continent. In choosing Luxembourg we considered in which other countries we might do business, looked at companies with which we plan to work, and took a close look at the broader robotics and aerospace industries to better understand the talent in the region. Luxembourg is centrally located for our business needs.

Jason with Luxembourg officials and members of the royal family

Astropreneurs: What does Europe have to offer (that the US doesn’t)? And what does Luxembourg specifically offer you?

Harrison Pitman: As previously mentioned, we chose this new location for proximity to relevant talent and countries and companies with which we will work. Our core focus is to bring Made In Space to the international space community, and to do so we need to be an international company.

Astropreneurs: What are the first steps that you are taking in Luxembourg? What are your priorities right now?

Harrison Pitman: Our first step is the development of a robot arm that will change the way space missions are conducted in the very near future. We see a closely approaching inflection point at which time more and more space missions will require advanced robotics to achieve their objectives, and in Luxembourg, Made In Space will develop these robotic systems. One of our highest priorities right now is to build a strong MIS Europe team.

Conceptual image of our Archinaut technology, which combines out-of-volume 3D printing with robotic assembly to enable the manufacture of large scale structures in space.

Astropreneurs: We understand getting the right people in the team is important. What do you do to find the best talent?

Harrison Pitman: We find talent in a number of ways—conferences, cold calls, emails, online job postings, social media… Most importantly we look for direct introductions.

Astropreneurs: What would you say to possible candidates to encourage them to apply for a job at MIS?

Harrison Pitman: At Made In Space every day is spent creating a future that most people consider to be science fiction. We believe in and are working toward a future where humans living and working in space is commonplace. If that’s something you’re interested in, we want to talk to you.

Astropreneurs: What are your long-term plans for Europe?

Harrison Pitman: Ultimately we want to be established as a leading European aerospace firm. In doing that, we hope to also bolster Luxembourg Space Agency’s emerging role in the international space industry.

For more information on how to be involved with Made In Space Europe visit www.madeinspaceeurope.com and connect with the team!